At this point in the year, there’s only one thing on students’ minds: finals week. With classes wrapping up Wednesday, the true grind
begins when the final project and test due dates show up on syllabi. Here’s how students are handling and reacting to the situation.

I
know
parking
is
always
an
issue on this
campus.
I
know
commuters always
have it kind
of
rough
Cody Boteler
Senior Editor
compared to
@CodyBoteler
on-campus
students.
Because these two things are always
happening, and not really “news”
unless something big happens, we
tend not to cover these topics at
The Towerlight unless something
big happens.
I’m tired of that narrative. For a
large number of students on this
campus, there are no issues more
pertinent than parking and transportation. If students can’t get here
on time, we can’t worry about focusing in class or getting involved with
extracurriculars or what’s happening
on this campus because we aren’t
here when we need to be.
What I’m getting at is that parking
and transportation are important for
a lot of students here, and probably
some faculty and staff as well, and
we need to stop treating it like a
non-issue.

“

I use the shuttle (Goucher Route)
to get to and from campus just about
every day that I have class. For the
most part, I’m quite the fan. The
shuttles save me gas money and let
me cram in studying that I forgot to
do the night before.
But I’ve had some uncomfortable
experiences and a couple of dangerous experiences. And I’m sure everyone’s heard horror stories about the
shuttles or parking.
I’ve been on shuttles where it
seems like the driver acts like the
bus is invincible and takes turns or
makes other decisions that a driver
in a normal car might not. I’ve been
on shuttles that are so cramped with
people standing in the aisle that a
handful are in front of the white line
with one or two people even standing
in the stairwell, next to the door.
Now, I’m fairly certain there’s a
sign that says standing in front of the
white line while the bus is in motion
is against the law. And I know for a
fact that standing in a stairwell with
your back facing a door that you
could plausibly fall out of on a busy
street is dangerous.
I’ve stood and waited for late shuttles (sure, sometimes unavoidable
because of traffic) but I’ve heard
stories of people who have waited for

over an hour without any notification
that their shuttle would be late.
The Black Express shuttle route
between West Village and core campus had to suspend operation this
semester because there’s a shortage
of drivers.
And once, I was on a shuttle riding
to campus when the driver decided to
make a phone call.
The driver pulled over, opened the
door, left it out and then hurried out,
cellphone in hand.
I couldn’t tell you what the call
was about, or how urgent it was.
But it did seem like that, when the
driver came back on to the shuttle,
that they were upset about something.
Maybe it was just confirmation
bias, but it seemed to me that the
driver started driving more angrily.
Issues of leaving the shuttle unattended and letting something affect
driving performance, I was left wondering how the driver knew to make
that phone call at that time.
It seems to me that the driver
must have been looking at their
phone during the route. I can’t say
for sure; I wasn’t intently watching
the driver the entire time. But how
else?
Using a handheld phone is bad

We should know what’s going on. If solutions aren’t being discussed, we
should start discussing them, and all members of the University community
should be a part of the talks. If I’m totally naive and there aren’t any
solutions for whatever reason, we should know.

enough when you’re alone in your
car, but it’s much, much worse when
you’re driving a large bus -- filled
with dozens of other people -- that is
capable of doing some real damage.
And of course, parking is a mess.
People tend to forget that there’s
plenty of parking up near Unitas
Stadium and SECU Arena, or else
they’re not willing to add an extra
seven minutes to their walk to class.
Maybe the solution is better advertising of the parking up on the hill,
maybe it’s adding more parking to
main campus. I’m not going to pretend that I have every solution for
every problem.
But isn’t it at least worth starting
a discussion? If you’re parking on
campus, you’re paying hundreds of
dollars to not get fined with a parking ticket. And everyone pays into
the shuttles.
We should know what’s going on.
If solutions haven’t been discussed,
we should start discussing them, and
all members of the University community should be a part of the talks.
If I’m totally naive and there aren’t
any solutions for whatever reason, we
should know. We should know that
someone in the administration is
taking seriously the concerns about
parking and transportation. And if
nobody’s considering them, why not?
Again. I don’t know much about
what sort of complexities go into
planning a parking garage or hiring
drivers for a shuttle or purchasing
new shuttles or anything like that.
But I do know that these are issues
that are important to a lot of people
and are issues that merit discussion.

Opinion

December 9, 2014

Finding your “individual voice” Word on the Street
Every single
Assit. Arts&Life Editor day, every step
@a_swaggner
we take is governed by unspoken social rules. Public
life outside the privacy of the home
occurs under the microscope of civility.
The moment you step outside, you step
out of “The Me World” and into “The
Real World.”
Rules of The Real World are everywhere from the streets, to the office
to school. For example, look at restaurants. They operate in complete
compliance with social norms. Most
restaurants are basically one big room
with a bunch of tables in it. When you
walk into a restaurant, the “Restaurant
Rules” kick in, and you can probably
predict what your experience will be
like. There’s usually no yelling or loud
talk between other tables; you keep
your eyes level and your hands on the
table. You tip your server at the end of
the meal the customary 20 percent, and
you walk out happy. Then the next set
of rules shows up, and so on.
Campus is another place loaded with
rules and other social cues. I realize
some of these rules are necessary to
avoid chaos, but walking from building
to building, we exhibit an anthill men-

Annie Sragner

tality where we keep to the right and go
about our own way without causing any
major inconveniences. Fairly basic, but
when you see someone who has broken
out of this mold in a bold way, it catches
your attention.

One of my favorite bands, The
Strokes, has a lyric that goes, “Oh
everybody plays the game, and if you
don't you're called insane.” Individuals
who rebel or step around the rules
are deemed “insane,” “mad,” or even
worse, “not cool.”
Consider how much of your everyday
behavior is spent in obedience to these
standards. How much of your public
persona is based on your authentic
urges? In essence, who is your real self
and what differentiates you from the
others?
We live in a society where a college

degree and money are usually needed to
live comfortably. The nature vs. nurture
dichotomy makes it difficult to discern
how much of who we are is based on
our real personalities as opposed to the
outer ones. We are mostly a product of
our external environment.
Look around you and notice what
real life means. Is it routine where we
ignore strangers on the street, or does
true living mean abandoning how we’re
expected to perform in life? No matter
how different we may try to be, we are
still slaves to the traditional lifestyle
that we collectively agree on.
From this perspective, tradition and
customs seem arbitrary. Our culture has
descended from the beliefs of men who
died hundreds of years ago. The world
values civilization and a market mentality without room for nonconformity.
Try to assess for yourself how many
of the decisions you make are based
on what you truly want, or what others
want for you. Decide who the authentic
you is and honor that person before you
agree with others by reflex. In the words
of The Strokes, “Didn’t you know there
was a choice, it’s never yours but someone else’s voice.” Find your individual
voice among the chatter of others’.

Certified Contacts Count Trainer
and “Reputation Pro” with Reputation
COUNTS Marcia Hall visited campus
Thursday to teach students how to
successfully make connections.
“We wanted to do a program specifically for juniors and seniors, and
we asked them what are some of the
challenges that they face, and the
biggest challenges were getting a job
and getting into grad school,” Chris
Hall, who is in the Masters program
for counseling psychology, said. “So
we wanted to pick something really
specific they can use as they try to
find a job or get into grad school.”
Hall, who has over 25 years of
experience with networking reputational management, defined
networking as “forming mutually
beneficial relationships.” She mentioned that by following her three
steps, students can successfully create those relationships.
During her workshop, entitled
“The ABCs of Networking,” Hall
said that networkers should be proactive. She recommended that networkers know how to join and leave
a conversation, teach their names in
a way that others are sure to remember and tell others exactly what it is
that they do.
Hall said that when looking for
someone to network with, students
should try to start with someone

who is alone. She recommends that
students ask politely to join them,
and then initiate introductions. If
the person cannot talk at the time
or is in the middle of a conversation,
students can always try again later,
she said.
Hall also said that students
should always keep up with their
promises.

“

Studies show that it
takes 6-8 meetings for
someone to see your
competency, for them to
see that you’re going to
do what you say you’re
going to do. We’re getting into character issues
here. Always follow
through and do what you
said you’ll do when you
said you would do it.
MARCIA HALL

Certified Contacts Count Trainer

“Studies show that it takes 6-8
meetings for someone to see your
competency, for them to see that
you’re going to do what you say you
are going to do,” Hall said. “We’re
getting into character issues here.
Always follow through and do what

you said you’ll do when you said you
would do it.”
The second major piece of advice
Hall gave was that students should
give their name in a way that others
will remember.
“People rush through the name to
get to the good stuff, and forget that
the name is the good stuff,” Hall said.
When trying to remember someone else’s name, students should
repeat it back to them and try to
make a connection to someone or
something they know.
Her final piece of advice was
that students should make sure to
tell people exactly what it is that
they do, or what their profession
is, so that the other person can be
of assistance to you. She advised
students against saying that they’re
willing to take any job. Instead, she
said that students should say what
they’ve done and how they’ve been
helpful in the past.
“If you done it, it ain’t bragging,”
she said, quoting Walt Whitman.
Hall’s workshop helped Towson
students in multiple ways. Whether
fulfilling a requirement for Business
Cornerstone or giving students a
chance to meet others, the workshop was deemed successful.
“I am trying to network for internships this summer, so I wanted learn
a little extra before I contacted [the
internship providers],” junior Kyle
Warholic said. “I decided to come
for a little overview.”

The on-campus Black Express
Route shuttle will be suspended
through the remainder of the
semester due to a lack of drivers,
according to Director of Parking
and Transportation Services Pam
Mooney.
“We’re short on drivers, and
who we do have, we need to have
on the other routes,” Mooney
said. “So, since there are already

two gold [shuttles] serving that
one, we’re suspending that in the
hopes of being able to get people
hired before the start of the next
semester.”
Mooney also said that the department has been operating with
approximately 10 open shuttle
positions, and that the licensing
requirements necessary to operate
the shuttles make drivers difficult
to come by.
The route, which typically runs
exclusively between West Village

and core campus, was first introduced at the start of the semester
to act as an abbreviated supplement to the other on-campus
shuttles.
All remaining shuttles, both off
and on campus, will continue to
run through the end of finals, but
only the ParaTransit and off-campus services will operate during
the minimester. These buses will
run on an abbreviated schedule.
Shuttles do not operate when
classes are out of session.

Beyond
Baltimore
India
New Delhi bans Uber services
New Delhi banned Internet taxi service Uber from operating in the city
Monday after one of its drivers, Shiv Kumar Yadav, was accused of raping
a 27-year-old passenger when she fell asleep in his vehicle.
“Keeping in view the violation and the horrific crime committed by the
driver, the transport department has banned all activities relating to providing any transport service by the www.Uber.com with immediate effect,”
transport officials said in a statement.
Police officials say that Uber failed to perform a sufficient background
check on Yadav, who had previously been charged with raping a female
passenger in 2011. He spent two years in prison but was later acquitted and
released when the woman was deemed to be a hostile witness.
Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, said the company will do “everything to
bring the perpetrator to justice and to support the victim and her family
in her recovery.” However, Kalanick also said that, in India, established
background checks are “currently absent in their commercial transportation licensing programs.”

United States

New profiling policies announced
On Monday, the Obama administration formally announced new
regulations pertaining to profiling by federal law enforcement. These
policy changes will not apply to local police departments.
These new regulations will, however, ban the FBI from considering
gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity
when deciding whether to open cases. These new rules will stack with
existing prohibitions on considering race and ethnicity.
State and local law enforcement agencies will only have to follow
these rules when they work with federal task forces. In their own communities, police are not required to adhere to these regulations. In these
cases, the rules may technically be considered guidelines.
According to The Washington Post, “a Justice Department official
said the goal is for federal law enforcement agencies to ‘model’ these
new policies, proving to state and local authorities that successful policing does not require profiling.”

Cleveland, Ohio
Mother of Tamir Rice calls for conviction
Samaria Rice, mother of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was fatally shot
by police in November, said Monday that the officers involved should be
criminally convicted.
According to Rice, the two officers involved in the shooting, Timothy
Loehmann and Frank Garmback, did not attempt to administer first aid
after the incident.
“I noticed the police ... weren’t doing anything. I arrived the same time
the ambulance did,” Rice said.
Rice also claims that immediately following the shooting, the police
tackled and handcuffed her 14-year-old daughter before putting her in
the back of the police cruiser.
The family filed a wrongful death lawsuit Friday.

A Georgetown Law student filed
a lawsuit Dec. 2 against Barry
Freundel, the Rabbi and suspended TU professor accused of six
counts of voyeurism, as well as
the National Capital Mikvah and
Georgetown Law School.
This comes a day after Freundel
had his contract terminated by
Kesher Israel, the synagogue where
he was working.
The case is seeking class action
status, which would allow other

parties to join in on the lawsuit.
The Towerlight has previously
reported that Freundel had invited
students of his class to the mikvah,
the ritual bath where he had been
allegedly filming women as they
were changing out of their clothes
to prepare for the bath.
According to the Baltimore
Sun, some Towson University students have told police that, in
addition to being invited, some
students accepted the invitation
to use the bath.
Freundel is scheduled for a hearing in D.C. Superior Court on Jan. 16.

Remain available through Dec. 10
NILO EXAR
Staff Writer
@niloexar

Course evaluations for Fall 2014
classes went live Nov. 27 and will
remain open to students until Dec.
10. These course evaluations help
professors learn how they are doing
with a specific course and what
improvements students generally
think would enhance the class.
Course evaluations are anonymous,
and professors will see the results of
the survey without any identifying
factors attached. Instructors will not
even have access to the results of the
evaluations until they have submitted their final grades.
The evaluations are meant to
take about 5-10 minutes, with most
taking closer to five minutes. To
complete course evaluations, students should go to https://towson.
campuslabs.com/courseeval/ and

log in using their Blackboard or
PeopleSoft login. Each class will
appear on the student’s dashboard
once they’ve logged in.

“

I’m not very likely
to fill them out ,
mostly because I
get bored, but they
are important so
teachers know how
to improve. I would
[fill them out] if they
were shorter.
SYDNEY YELITY-PAUL
Freshman

After each evaluation is completed, that class title will appear under
“completed evaluations.”

Students had mixed responses to
course evaluations, in general.
“I am very likely to fill out the
course evaluations,” freshman
mass communications major Alicia
Reynolds said. “They need to know
my honest opinion in how they are
doing as a professor.”
Freshman mass communications
major Sydney Yelity-Paul said she
doesn’t like to fill them out just
because she thinks they are too
much of a hassle.
“I’m not very likely to fill them
out, mostly because I get bored, but
they are important so teachers know
how to improve,” Yelity-Paul said. “I
would [fill them out] if they were
shorter.”
The University encourages students to participate in order to provide comprehensive feedback and to
better classes, as these evaluations
are one of the only ways professors
can gain actual feedback.

November 25: At the Glen Complex, TUPD monitored a peaceful
demonstration.
November 25: At the Liberal Arts building, TUPD monitored a
peaceful demonstration.

Dec. 8

November 25: In Tower A, TUPD is investigating an ongoing issue
related to resident student living arrangements.
November 25: In Tower A, a resident student was referred for a
possible CDS violation.
November 26: A TUPD officer had a minor accident while backing
near Newell Hall’s loading dock.

$2.69

$2.69

E. Joppa
Road

Goucher Blvd.

December 1: In Burdick Hall, an unknown person or persons
used unknown means to damage the lock on a storage room
door. Investigation is ongoing.
December 2: At Millenium Hall, a resident reported a robbery, but it was later proven unfounded.

$2.67

E. Joppa Road

December 2: At Douglass House, a commuter student was
referrred for CDS possession. Investigation is ongoing.
December 5: At University Union, a resident student reported her
bike stolen. She was later found to have left it on the other side of
the building.
The Towerlight’s “Police Blotter” is a representative sample of crimes
occurring on and off campus. The blotter is not intended to be all inclusive.
For a list of all crime reports, visit www.towson.edu/police.

$2.69

E. Joppa
Road

$2.79
York Road

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Towson turns 150 years old in 2015. To celebrate, The
Towerlight is going back in time for our presentation.
The cover features pictures going back to 1990 to show how
far Towson has come, and the fonts used for our headlines date
back to the very early days of The Towerlight, showing the evolution of our work through 2014. From news to sports, we look
at the best to come in the coming calendar year. For even more
Year-in-Preview content, visit TheTowerlight.com.

JONATHAN MUNSHAW
Editor-in-Chief
@jon_munshaw

For the second time in six months,
control of Towson’s president’s office is
expected to switch hands in 2015, when
Maravene Loeschke returns to the office
after taking a semester off for medical
and personal reasons.
In August, Loeschke announced her
leave, with Timothy Chandler, Provost
at the time, taking over as acting president.
No official date for her return has
been set, according to Chandler.
“I’m supposed to be in this role until
such time that she and the [University
System of Maryland] Chancellor says,
‘OK, sign off’ and the president will sign
back on again,” he said. “That date has
not been determined. As soon as it is, I
will know, and then students will know.
But that’s between the president and
the Chancellor.”
Outgoing USM Chancellor William
Kirwan is set to leave his position at the

end of 2014, and no replacement has
been named for the position yet.
Over winter break, the first milestone
for Loeschke would be to attend the
Maryland general assembly hearings
concerning the University’s budget.
Looking into the next year, Chandler
said he is most excited to see what
comes of the 150th anniversary celebrations.
“There’ll be a lot of planning that’s
being done,” he said. “All of the academic units will look at how they’ll
contribute to what is a year-long celebration. That’ll take some serious planning.”
If Chandler returns to his position
as Provost, he said he’ll have plenty of
experiences gained as acting president
that he can take back to the office.
“There have been times when I’ve
wondered, ‘How do I do this?’ In general, I’ve had wonderful help,” he said.
“The place is very well-organized and
runs pretty well, whether I’m here or
not.”

CHRISTINE LAFRANCESCA
Staff Writer

As 2014 comes to an end, Towson
will begin preparation for the 150th
Anniversary Celebration that will commence in May 2015.
Louise Miller, the director of integrated marketing services, is assisting
in the execution of the event with alums
Myrna Cardin (class of ‘65) and Gerry
Gaeng (class of ’81) who are co-chairs
to the celebration.
While Towson won’t officially turn
150 until Jan. 15, 2016, the yearlong
event will begin in May 2015 due to
Towson’s complex history.
“The school was supposed to open
in September 1865, and Baltimore City
was supposed to provide a building
here in this area, but they kept delaying it and the school ended up renting a building and opening its doors
officially in Towson in January 1866,”
Miller said. “Technically, the first class
graduated at the end of the 1865-66
academic year. Back then, at the time,
the curriculum was one year long; the
first graduating class, most who had
already been teaching for years, finished
in one semester.”
This event is an opportunity to share
Towson’s history, achievements and
contributions since its founding. It is
also a time to bring alumni back into
Towson culture and attract new supporters and students.
“During the brainstorming sessions
from the student involvement committee, someone mentioned having more
interaction with alumni. They had an
idea to showcase the top 150 alumni

CODY BOTELER
Senior Editor
@codyboteler

File photo by Abby Murphy/ The Towerlight

University President Maravene Loeschke has been on a leave of
absence for medical and personal reasons.

After three community input
meetings, the 101 York Road development project is moving into its
next stage: hearings under the
Hearing Officer.
101 York Road is a proposed offcampus student housing project that
would be located off the intersection of York and Burke, next to
Starbucks.
The project has faced significant
community opposition, with residents of Towson who live near the
planned site saying that they’re worried that traffic will get worse and
students who live in the building will
park out in the community.

Courtesy of Towson

as a sort of countdown to Homecoming
in 2015. We also had an idea for speed
networking with alumni,” Miller said.
“It’s a great way to meet with people
who not only are involved in the same
field that you may be interested in but,
also graduated from the school you
attended.”
A new logo will be presented during
the anniversary year, designed by assistant director of creative services and
alum David Calkins.
During the 150th year celebration,
there will be key “signature” events, a
combination of academic conferences
and lectures, alumni gatherings, stu-

The group behind the project,
DMS Development, however, had
a parking study done and says that
there will be sufficient parking for
students.
Members of the American Legion,
a group which has been very vocal
in their opposition to the project,
were unable to make it to the second
meeting. This is probably why a
third meeting was necessary, Project
Manager for the Baltimore County
Government Department of Permits,
Approvals and Inspections Jan Cook
said.
The hearings for the project will
start on Wednesday, Jan. 7 and take
place on weekdays until Thursday,
Jan. 15 at 10 a.m. in Room 205
of the Jefferson Building on West

dent celebrations, athletic events, performances and exhibitions.
“We narrowed it down and are still
narrowing it down to five signature
events for the year. There will be something happening every month, but
[there are] five key events,” Miller said.
“Each college and the library will have
a week long visiting scholar. So for the
arts building, it might be an artist.
For CLA it might be an author or a
poet, each college will get to decide for
themselves.”
To get more information as well as
follow the 150th celebrations go to
https://www.facebook.com/TU150th.

Chesapeake Avenue.
The hearings are meant to be an
exchange between the developer and
county government, not a time for
public comment.
Following the hearing, the administrative law judge who is overseeing
the case will have 15 days to write an
order, and there will be a 30-day period in which anyone could appeal the
ruling. The currently proposed project will rise 13 stories and house 611
beds for students with 495 parking
spaces. The complex would include
some spaces set aside for street-level
retail and underground parking.
The plan could change, however,
depending on how the judge writes
the order and whether or not there
are any appeals.

11

Year in Preview

December 9, 2014

CODY BOTELER
Senior Editor
@codyboteler

Governor-elect Larry Hogan will
be sworn in on Jan. 21, making it the
first time a Republican has held the
state’s highest seat since incumbent
Martin O’Malley took the oath of
office in 2007.
Hogan has never held an elected
office before, but served in Governor
Bob Ehrlich’s administration from
2003 - 2007. Hogan won the 2014
election with 51 percent of the vote,
beating out Lt. Governor Anthony
Brown.
Hogan has not said much explicitly about what his plans are for
higher education.
University System of Maryland
Student Council President Zac
McGee expressed some worry about
the incoming governor because of
his lack of public policy history.
“With Anthony Brown, we had a
history and a connection through

Governor O’Malley,” he said. “That
being said, I think that this will be
an opportunity for the USMSC to

“

With Anthony Brown,
we had a history and
a connection through
Governor O’Malley.

ZAC MCGEE
University System of Maryland Student
Council President

prove to the state just how vital higher education is in terms of receiving
state funding.”
In a previous interview with The
Towerlight, Hogan said that he was
leading the fight against tuition
increases in the state. He also said
that young people in Maryland are
having difficulty finding jobs and are
leaving the state because of it.
“My entire focus is on turning
the economy around so that we

can create more opportunities and
more jobs for students coming out of
school,” he said.
Leaders in higher education have
set a goal to increase the number
of adults in Maryland who have a
college degree from 45 percent to
55 percent. In an interview with
The Baltimore Sun, Hogan said that
it would take more than “arbitrary
goals” to make Maryland a more
competitive state.
In that same interview, Hogan said
that he would require state-funded
institutions to equip students with
skills that are “in demand in today’s
marketplace.”
During the discussion on potential
mandatory student fee increases for
next school year, Vice President for
Student Affairs Deb Moriarty said
the University doesn’t have a feel for
what policies Hogan’s administration might make regarding tuition
increases, because he simply doesn’t
have a history in higher education.

Courtesy of Larry Hogan

Governor-elect Larry Hogan has never held public office before, and
therefore doesn’t have a track record of higher education policy.

SAM SHELTON
News Editor
@sam_tweet_snow

File photo by Sarah Hugel/ The Towerlight

The renovation of Burdick Gym is just one of the construction projects slated to start in the near year.
CODY BOTELER
Senior Editor
@codyboteler

2014 saw some big construction
projects: The West Village Pedestrian
Bridge and the newly-turfed Burdick
Field. Also, ground was broken on
the new on-campus residencies in
West Village.
“What you’ll see is the foundations
going in almost immediately after the
first of the year, then walls going up
over the course of the spring, and it’ll
go from there,” he said.
The connecting walkway between

Newell Hall and Cook Library has
been completed, but is left unopened
because of an “inadvertently blocked
stormwater line,” according to
Guckert. Guckert said that he’s been
told that the walkway will be open by
the first of the year.
A bigger project, set to start in
June, is the expansion of Burdick
Hall.
According to Guckert, the plans
are for the building to expand “right
up against the new turf fields.”
The renovations will also include
an extension of the West Village

pedestrian bridge.
And, while actual work isn’t set to
being until 2016, the spring semester
will see renovations being designed
for Residence Tower.
“It’s a total redesign,” Guckert
said. “It’s pretty much being stripped
down to bare walls and starting over.”
He also said that, once it began,
the project would last a year.
Also coming in 2016 is the construction of a new science building.
The building is planned to go in
between Stephens Hall and 7800
York Road.

Demolition in preparation for
the upcoming $350 million mixed
use development, Towson Row, is
slated to begin in 2015, according to Executive Director of the
Towson Chamber of Commerce,
Nancy Hafford.
The developer, Caves Valley
Partners, will begin by demolishing
any vacant buildings within what
will become the Towson Row area.
The
development,
which
will span five acres within the
Downtown Towson area of York
Road, Towsontown Boulevard,
Washington
Avenue
and
Chesapeake Avenue, is expected
to include 350 luxury apartment
areas, 300 student housing units
and nearly 200 hotel rooms, according to a Nov. 5 Baltimore County
press release.
The 1-million square foot development will also include a Whole
Foods Market, the first in Baltimore
County, office units and additional
space for stores and restaurants. At
this time, no target opening date
for the 45,000 square foot Whole

Foods has been set.
“A lot of jobs are going to be coming into Towson. A lot,” Hafford
said. “So that’s what’s going to
make it awesome.”
Hafford said that existing
Palisades of Towson luxury apartment complex is a “prime example
of what this new development is
going to look like.” She said that
Towson Run will potentially draw
a new, sophisticated crowd to the
community.
“Not just the economy, but the
values of the properties that are
here will go up,” Hafford said. “It’s
going to cause so much more walkability in our community. The more
people we can get on the streets
after 9 to 5, the better.”
In addition, Hafford said that
county officials may also be looking to add more green areas to the
Towson area in the future.
“So, they’re looking at making all
of these projects, that are here and
those that are coming, eco-friendly
where people don’t just have brick
and mortar all over the place,”
Hafford said. “[Instead] they have
nice little parks and green spaces,
and that’s really important.”

12

December 9, 2014

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December 9, 2014

13

14

Year in Preview

December 9, 2014

JONATHAN MUNSHAW
Editor-in-Chief
@jon_munshaw

All stats used in this column do not
reflect Sunday’s NFL action.
Since this is the Year in Preview, after
all, I’m dedicating this week’s column
(and my last of the semester) to predictions. More specifically, predicting
who will win the NFL’s end-of-season
awards. These will all be given out
before the Super Bowl, but it’s a great
way to kick off 2015 (especially if some
of the winners aren’t in the playoffs).
So, let’s get right to it.
Comeback Player of the Year –
Jeremy Maclin, Eagles
This award has always confused me,
and frankly I’m still not really sure of
the requirements to receive (or not
receive) the award. Most Ravens fans
reading this will want to nominate
Justin Forsett.
No doubt, Forsett has had a great season, but he hasn’t really had anything to
come back from. Throughout his career,
he’s been just “a guy” and heading into
this season with the Ravens, he had just
nine total touchdowns in his career.
So to me, it doesn’t make any sense

JONATHAN MUNSHAW
Editor-in-Chief
@MattHamiltonTU

The 2014 season was one that
Towson will want to forget, but let’s not
forget what happened in early January
of this year. Towson made it to the
Football Championship Subdivision
Championship game in Frisco, Texas,
and the program’s profile was raised
as a result.
After finishing this season with a
head-scratching loss to Rhode Island,
Head Coach Rob Ambrose immediately
began recruiting for the future to make
sure his team didn’t finish 4-8 again
in 2015.
“[This season] was disappointingly inconsistent,” Ambrose said after
the Rhode Island game. “And that’s
nobody’s fault but mine. I know that
will change next year.”
Looking to cash in on the 2013 season’s success, Ambrose will look to add
a 2015 recruiting class that can compete
immediately, much like offensive lineman Jesus Barrio and running back
Dontea Ayres did last season.
Although most of the 2015 recruiting
class is uncertain, Towson has received
a commitment from Devin Hannan, a

to say, “Oh, Justin used to be bad, and
with this offensive line, he’s good now.”
Maclin has actually had to overcome
a torn ACL that forced him to miss all
of last year.
He bet on himself in the offseason,
signing a one-year deal with the Eagles
in hopes of cashing in this offseason.
It’s paid off, catching 71 passes on
119 targets for 1,088 yards and nine
touchdowns.
Maclin is Pro Football Focus’ tenth
highest rated wide receiver this season,
even higher than Calvin Johnson, A.J.
Green and Julio Jones.
He doesn’t have a single drop all season and is 13th in yards per pass route
among all receivers who have played at
least 50 percent of their team’s snaps
(Andrew Hawkins is 14th, just had to
get my Browns plug in there). Forsett
is my second strongest candidate, but
Maclin actually had to overcome an
injury and didn’t play a single snap
last year, unlike Forsett, who just toiled
away in Jacksonville.
Coach of the Year – Bruce Arians,
Cardinals
The Cardinals are unfortunately in
danger of missing the playoffs entirely

Odell Beckham and Brandin Cooks, I’m
with Drew Stanton at the helm, but
taking Beckham first and Evans second.
Arians still deserves this.
But for the purposes of this award, I
Mike Pettine and Doug Marone are
can’t give it to a guy who
my two other options, but
has really only been playthe fact that Arians had this 6879124502476
ing his best football for six
team at 9-1 at one point 3923543705457
93759993575985
weeks.
gives him the edge.
25576933856202
Evans is averaging more
Arizona has had to deal 3475623460017
yards-per reception than
with injuries to their starting 72774650309622
TALK NERDY TO ME
Beckham, has three more
quarterback, Carson Palmer, 545965418347
touchdowns in three more
Darnell Dockett, their secgames and has at least four catches in
ond best pass rusher, John Abraham,
all but one of his games this season.
a veteran on defense, linebacker Matt
Evans plays on an awful Bucs team,
Shaughnessy as well as the suspension
but Beckham plays on a potentially
of linebacker Daryl Washington.
even worse Giants squad.
Yet, the Cardinals are fifth in DVOA
It’s also worth noting that Evans
(defense-adjusted value over average)
has the most receptions of any receiver
on defense, according to Football
on targets that travel 20 yards or more
Outsiders. Before Palmer was hurt,
down the field, and has six touchdowns
Arians had him playing great football.
from that distance, just as many as
In six starts, Palmer had 11 touchdowns
Jordy Nelson.
and just three interceptions, a passer
Defensive Rookie of the Year – C.J.
rating of 96.0 and an accuracy percentMosley, Ravens
age (his completion percentage if drops
At various points this season, Kyle
were counted as receptions) of 75.1.
Fuller and Anthony Barr were also in
Offense Rookie of the Year – Mike
the running for this award.
Evans, Buccaneers
Right now, Aaron Donald of the
This draft class is going to be amazRams and Chris Borland of the 49ers
ing for receivers, but if I was re-drafting
are Mosley’s biggest competition for the
the group of Evans, Kelvin Benjamin,

6-foot-4 offensive lineman from Belle
Vernon, Pennsylvania, according to
Rivals.com. The rest of the class will be
revealed during the spring practice season.Ambrose said that he has no doubt
that he can still sell the successes of the
2013 season when recruiting, much like
he did last year.
Towson will most likely see more
contributions from its 17-man recruiting class from 2014 — one that included
Ayres, Barrio and quarterback Ellis
Knudson. Knudson did not play in
2014, but could compete with Connor
Frazier for a starting spot next season.
Ambrose said that Frazier will definitely compete for the starting role next
year, but “there are no returning starters on this team.”
The young and banged up offensive
line will return in 2015 with a full year
of experience under its belt. Players
like sophomore Sam Evans, freshman
Antonio Harris, sophomore Shayne
Sullivan, junior Jake Schunke and
Barrio will compete for starting spots
on what should be an improved line.
One player that will be happy with
improved play along the offensive line is
sophomore running back Darius Victor,
who will return as the reigning Colonial

Athletic Association rushing leader.
Victor will be one of the more dynamic
rushers in the FCS next season.
On defense, Towson will lose
three stalwarts in Ryan Delaire, Drew
Cheripko and Tye Smith.
Defensive ends Syd Holt and Eddie
Releford had some experience last
season, combining for 26 total tackles. They will be looked at to replace
the production made by Delaire and
Cheripko in their four years at Towson.
In the secondary, junior Donnell
Lewis and sophomore Jahmahl Pardner
could end up as starters at cornerback.
Alfonso Augustine, who recorded 41
tackles in 2014, will also factor into the
secondary.
One of the positions to watch will be
linebacker, where leading-tackler and
freshman James Simms will join a rising
start in sophomore Jordan Mynatt. Also
returning will be sophomore Bryton
Barr, who has missed much of the last
two seasons with injury.
“We’re still building towards the level
of success that a North Dakota State
or an Eastern Washington would have,
but all those took well over 10 years to
build,” Ambrose said after the season
finale. “We’re right in the thick of it.”

final four weeks. However, Borland has
really only been effective for four weeks
now, and was dreadful during the first
part of the year.
Mosley is PFF’s sixth highest rated
inside linebacker, ahead of veterans
such as Karlos Dansby, and has been
effective both at stopping the run and
covering guys on pass plays, something
the Ravens have struggled with as a
whole this season.
He has 41 solo tackles on run plays,
and has been targeted 68 times, the
most of any inside linebacker, yet has
two interceptions and has allowed 1.06
yards per coverage snap.
Mosley is the ideal Raven linebacker.
Defensive Player of the Year – J.J.
Watt, Texans
No surprises here. I frankly probably
don’t even have to provide an explanation to anyone who watches football but
here’s quick one.
Watt is the only player in the history
of the league, under the age of 26, to
have 45 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and
31 passes defended, according to ProFootball-Reference.com.
- To read the rest of this column,
visit thetowerlight.com

File photo by Sarah Hugel/ The Towerlight

Running back Darius Victor returns next football season as the
defending Colonial Athletic Association leading rusher, and will
hopefully have a better offensive line to run behind.

Year in Preview

December 9, 2014

RYAN PERMISON
Columnist

ROBERT WOOD
Assistant Arts & Life Editor

The Department of Theatre Arts
is busy preparing for the many shows
lined up for the upcoming 2015 spring
semester.
The first is a play by playwright
Aaron Posner called “Stupid Fu*king
Bird.” It will be directed by professor
Peter Wray and will run from March 4
-12. Towson will be one of the first colleges to ever to put on a production of
“Stupid Fu*king Bird.”
The second show will be “Festival
of New Works.” Curated by David M.
White, the show will run from April
9-12. Following this production will be
the annual spring musical “Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet
Street.” “Sweeney Todd” has music and
lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a script
by Hugh Wheeler and first opened on
Broadway in 1979. It will be directed by
associate professor Stephen Nunns with
musical direction by professor Phillip
Collister. The show will be put on in
collaboration with the Department of

Music and will run from April 23 - May
2. Also, interspersed with the facultyled theatre shows next semester are
several pieces from the MFA program.
The first will be “Starling” which was
collaboratively written, assembled and
directed by Deirde McAllister. The show
will run from March 26-29. Next to the
stage will be “The Hyacinth Girl” which
was created and devised by Leah Brick
and will run from April 16 -18.
Department Chair of the Theatre
Arts, Robyn Quick said that many of
the shows were chosen based on a
rotating matrix that the faculty members use. The matrix allows professors
to choose different shows from various
time periods based on what they believe
Towson students like to see.
“We have a wide array of shows,”
Quick said. “Also, even though they
haven’t been announced yet, there will
also be some undergraduate projects
as well.” For more information about
the Department of Theatre Arts shows
for the spring semester, visit Towson
University’s website.

The New Year promises to be one
for the record books.
Several franchises are being rebooted, sequels are on the way and it’s
a good time to be a comic book or
novel fan.
1. Vin Diesel and company return
for their next ride with “Furious 7,”
opening April 3.
When the brother of one of their
enemies comes seeking vengeance,
the team attempts to end it once and
for all.
This is the first film in the “Fast
and Furious” franchise since the
death of actor Paul Walker.
2. Marvel gives us one of the most
anticipated films of the year with
“The Avengers: Age of Ultron,”
opening May 1.
Ultron (James Spader) attempts to
destroy the team and the world with
his own brand of justice.
Two new characters are introduced
to the franchise in this film as well:
Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
3. Fourteen years after the last
film, the park is open with “Jurassic

World,” premiering June 12.
Viewers can look for Bryce Dallas
Howard and Chris Pratt who were
added to the franchise in an attempt
to restore it to its former glory.
4. Another anticipated movie would
be “Spectre,” the next chapter in the
007 franchise that features Daniel
Craig returning to the role of James
Bond, opening Nov. 6.
5. The finale of The Hunger Games
franchise “The Hunger Games:
Mockingjay Part 2,” opens Nov. 20
and is highly anticipated, especially
after the recent release of part one
this year.
6. One sequel that has been over
thirty years in the making that will
have everyone talking is “Star Wars:
Episode VII: The Force Awakens,”
opening Dec. 18.
The trio of Mark Hamill, Harrison
Ford and Carrie Fisher are returning to
their iconic roles as Luke Skywalker,
Han Solo and Princess Leia.
Other past cast members are also
returning. The studio is planning a
new trilogy and spin-off films as well
for the franchise.
7. Tom Cruise is back as Ethan

15

Courtesy of Walt Disney Motion
Pictures

Hunt for the fifth installment of
“Mission: Impossible,” opening
Dec. 25 with Ving Rhames, among
others, returning.
These are just some of the most
anticipated films of the year.
Believe me when I say this is just
the tip of the iceberg. I hope you get
a chance to see some of these films in
the New Year.

16

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December 9, 2014

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Arts&Life

December 9, 2014

17

One act, four days, two plays
CHRISTINE LAFRANCESCA
Staff Writer

As the lights fade to black, the murmur of whispers stops as the audience
waits for the first play to begin. Seniors
and theatre majors Alex Shade and
Lexi Hauck each directed a play for
the “Evening of Student Directed One
Acts” in the Center of the Arts building
last Thursday evening.
“The Scream” written by D.T Arcieri
depicted a difficult three-person relationship scenario between Jane, a gay
and miserable bank associate, Fern, a
cheery and hopeful bisexual art gallery owner and Bob, a misunderstood
artist. With a cast full of vivacious yet,
befuddled personalities Alex said it was
difficult to find the perfect people to
play each role in her play.
“We had auditions and we had about
30 people come out to audition for
about eight spots, between both plays.
Many of the people who came for audi-

tions were crazy talented and then we
had to have call backs, we narrowed
it down to about 15, so we could see
people read for the parts they would
potentially be cast as,” Shade said.
“The people we ended up getting were
perfect for the roles.”
“Life Under Water” written by
Richard Greenberg is a story about
Kip, a young man who, on a booze
influenced whim, runs away from his
mother’s house in order to chase a
dream of making it big. He isn’t sure
how he intends to make his fortune
but, is determined to do so without
the help of his mother. After passing
out on the beach, he is found by two
young women, Amy-Beth and Amy-Joy,
and falls in love with one but lusts for
the other.
With each character having very specific character traits, Hauck said that it
was important to find actors who work
well together.
“It’s a lot about just finding the right

equation, finding people who are perfect for the roles and also relate to each
other,” Hauck said. “When you strike
up a really good balance, like we both
have with both of these cast then the
hard part is over.”
Shade added, “I think once you find
people, who work well, there’s a lot
less to worry about. There is a strong
energy in the room and that comes
largely in part from who you’re in there
with. Once you have the right people,
you can play with that energy and mix
people.”
Since the plays performed were not
student written plays, there was a lot of
behind-the-scenes work done in order
to get the rights to continue with production.
“I contacted my playwright directly,
asking if I could use his play. He
e-mailed me the next day, attaching his
script and said he hoped I’d use it. The
school wrote up a contract with him
about leasing the rights of the play. I

was nervous that I really have to do the
play justice because I have been talking
with the writer of my play,” Shade said.
Junior and theatre major Allie Press
played Amy-Beth, Kip’s love interest in
“Life Under Water.” Her love for theatre
started early, which sparked her interest in auditioning for Towson’s plays.
“I knew I wanted to be an actress in
third grade. I was in the school show
and it was the most amazing feeling,”
Press said.
Acting has been her passion for years
but it has had its difficult moments.
“If you’re in a musical, sometimes
the most nerve-wracking thing can be
hitting that one note, or hitting that
pirouette in that one dance,” Press
said. “I think right now where I am
with ‘Life Under Water,’ the most
nerve-wracking thing is not being in
character. When I’m backstage and I
don’t feel like I’m in character, that’s
nerve-wracking because then I won’t be
reacting properly and it will just sound

like I’m reading lines.”
Shade and Hauck said that directing
is their dream.
“I think the coolest thing about
being a director is seeing those little
moments come together. A lot of what
you saw tonight is us but, those little
moments and things are the actors.
Theatre really is a collaborative thing.
If you are thinking about going into
acting, you have to be able to give and
receive different ideas,” Shade said.
As student directors they have
encountered their ups and down’s but
always encourage people who are interested in directing to have an open
mind.
“Flexibility is crucial. You’ll have a
lot of things thrown at you that you
won’t expect. And that’s just part of
it, you know? Learning not to hold
on to an idea too tightly,” Hauck said.
“Having that openness and willing to
change. You have to be able to be open
and change.”

Restaurants of the future Clones for rent
Since this is
the last edition
of The Towerlight
for the semester,
I decided to give you something
different.
Since it may be hard for some
of you to get through winter break
without a weekly GoodEats submission, I am going to clue you all in on
some restaurant info.
Baltimore is constantly growing and changing in the restaurant
industry. Restaurants are closing,
new restaurants are opening and
new chefs are being appointed with

Taylor Seidel
Columnist
@GoodEatsMD

Courtesy of William Murphy

An Aromes restaurant location
in Dublin, Ireland.

brand new menus.
My goal this week is to give you
a list of some of the most anticipated restaurant openings in the
Baltimore area.
Aromes Restaurant is the newest addition to the quaint
Hampden
neighborhood. With it’s eye
on American and
French inspired cuisine, Aromes will
fit right in.
Scheduled
to
open in early 2015,
Aromes will be the
newest farm to table
spot to hit Baltimore, promising to source ingredients from
Maryland farms.
Many of you might be familiar
with the Bagby Restaurant Group
who owns Fleet Street Kitchen,
TenTen, Bagby Pizza Company and
Towson’s very own Cunninghams.
The restaurant group has plans
to open a quick-service version of
Bagby Pizza Co that will still hold
true to their farm to table methods.
A location has not been specified
but the restaurant is scheduled to
open in early 2015.
Ristorante Firenze, which plans
to open later this winter, will be
an upscale Italian eatery in historic
Reisterstown off of Hanover Road.
Firenze will feature family recipes

paired with the freshest ingredients.
Open seven days a week for lunch
and dinner, this eatery promises to
have some of the best Italian dishes
in the area.
Main Street Grille is also opening
in Reisterstown in the former space of Martha &
Mary’s. The restaurant
is still under renovation but is planning
on opening in early
2015. The family
friendly restaurant
will offer breakfast,
lunch and dinner with
special deals.
More information is hopefully coming out soon.
A few of my favorite restaurants
are opening new locations as well.
Ryleigh’s Oyster House has plans
to open their third location in
Mount Vernon this winter. Also, La
Tolteca is opening another location
in Canton off of Boston Street this
winter.
I hope you all have a chance
to make it out to one of these
new Baltimore restaurants this winter break. For more information,
keep an eye out for my twitter @
GoodEatsMD.
Hope you all have a great break
and I look forward to your readership in 2015. Until next time. I wish
you GoodEats!

Kaitlyn McKay

threatens her life.
“Orphan Black” is a show that is
best to watch going in completely blind.
The summary above is just a taste
of the twists and turns that occur in
the show. Other information could be
included in the summary, but
it would take away a lot
of the suspense of the
show. The only reason
that this review even
mentions the fact
that Sarah is a clone
is because it is impossible to talk about
Tatiana Maslany’s breathtaking acting without it.
Maslany does not just portray Sarah:
she portrays all of the clones that
appear on the show. There are four
main clones that appear in the first
season, and all of them are vastly different. Usually, audiences need to see
an actor’s various films or TV shows to
see how wide their acting range is and
how truly phenomenal they are. With
Maslany, you just need to see “Orphan
Black.” After a few episodes, the audience can forget that in many scenes,
there is just one actor playing multiple
parts in one scene. Maslany is not just
the star of the show: she is the show.
Both seasons are available on at
Tiger Reels, and each season is only
ten episodes long.
“Orphan Black” is a hidden gem. It
Courtesy of BBC America is an absolute must-see.

The first season of “Orphan
Black” is not a
recent release at Tiger Reels, but it still
deserves a recommendation in this
week’s Renting at the Reels.
Sarah Manning (Tatiana
Maslany), a con woman
avoiding a toxic relationship, witnesses the
suicide of a woman,
Elizabeth
Childs
(also Maslany) who
looks exactly like her.
She steals her identity
and plans to clean out her
bank account in an attempt
to start a new life with her daughter
whom she has been separated from.
While wrapped up in living her doppelganger’s life, Sarah discovers that
she is one of many clones struggling
to live a normal life and ultimately
becomes tangled in
a conspiracy that
Columnist

18

Arts&Life

December 9, 2014

Syd says cheers to the UK Students on film
I have to leave
London
this
week?
What?
No, that can’t
be true. Just
yesterday I was
jetSydney Adamson strolling
lagged
through
Columnistr
@ssydneytaylor
the streets of
Kensington and
now you’re telling me I have to go home? I don’t
even know where to begin, really.
This experience has been something truly life changing and one
of a kind.
I got to spend each day with Big
Ben practically at my doorstep. I
found myself a homey local pub that
I just can’t imagine leaving behind.
I saw artwork that I never thought
I would be able to see in person. I
made friends with some one of a
kind people.
I was actually able to comprehend a really confusing public transportation system.
Not only was I lucky enough to
live in London, I travelled to other
countries too. I was able to climb to
the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, and
discovered the history of my family name in Scotland. I also found

myself in Brighton, a coastal town
in England, where I could get away
from city life for a bit on more than
one occasion. It’s definitely a place
I can see myself going back to again
and again.
Along the way I even found a
love for film photography. Like I’ve
mentioned in previous columns,
it’s really been a pleasure to take
a step away from digital artwork
and to capture breathtaking
locations on film. It’s
become such a significant part of my
life over here and I
can’t wait to continue working with
the medium when I
come home.
EYE ON
I’d be lying if I said
that my few months here
were all sunshine and rainbows
though. No peaks without valleys,
right?
There have been times when I
desperately wanted to go home and
others when I felt just plain unhappy. There have been moments when
I felt really lost, too, and I don’t just
mean the long list of times when I
got off at the wrong tube station.
I’ve forgotten what it’s like to

drive my car and to cuddle with
my dogs. I long for the taste of
my mom’s homemade lasagna and
her red velvet cake (my mouth is
watering as I type this). I’ve missed
the comfort of waking up in the
morning and making myself a cup
of coffee in an actual mug instead
of making myself a tea at the dining
hall in a paper take away cup.
But all of that was nothing that
a stroll through Kensington
Gardens or a trip to the
pub couldn’t fix.
All the rough
patches and the
good times have
really forced me to
grow as a person.
Traveling has taught
LONDON me a lot about myself,
too; I feel more well rounded now than I did before and more
content about the person that I am
and that I’m becoming. I’m pretty
familiar with London, but I still
want much more time in this beautiful city.
I’m incredibly excited to return
home to my friends and family, but
I’m even more excited about the
possibly returning to England in
the future.

KRISTIN HELF
Contributing Writer

Students of all majors gathered
in Van Bokkelen’s auditorium on
Friday night to watch the films that
students in the electronic media
and film major have been working
on this semester.
“[The festival] was created initially for people to submit things
that weren’t necessarily completely
finished, halfway through the year,
and that’s why it’s called ‘Halfway
There,’” Laura Gede, a member of
the fraternity Lambda Kappa Tau
(who hosted the event), said.
This year, students submitted
films that ranged in category from
documentaries to music videos.
Over 45 films were submitted
in total, and 22 ended up being
screened on Friday: three in each
of the seven categories and four in

the “short narrative” category due
to a tie.
“It’s a good opportunity to see
people that you haven’t worked
with, the experience to work with
other people in your department…
to just see who’s around you and be
exposed to what they were doing,”
junior and member of LKT Eric
Wilcox said.
Similarly, sophomore Stephanie
Buckley said that she attended in
order to see what other film majors,
like herself, were working on.
The festival was open to everyone
at Towson, and students came to
the event for both entertainment
and inspiration.
“I hope that people can sit back
and watch these films and say, ‘next
year I want to make something even
better,’” Gede said. “‘Next year I
want to win my category,’ or even, ‘I
want to submit something.’”

Life Illustrated

Vietnamese tradition at TU
ADIYA PERKINSON
Contributing Writer

Towson alum Ly Huynh started her
Friday night by giving her audience
an overview of all things Vietnamese:
traditional foods, dances, holidays
and pastimes.
“We want to promote the
Vietnamese culture, let everyone know on campus we have a
Vietnamese community here, share
our traditions, language [and]
food,” Huynh, who helped to found
Towson’s Vietnamese Student
Association, said.
On Dec. 5, VSA held their third
annual Vietnamese Culture Night.
The event, sponsored by Student
Affairs’ Friday Night Live, brought
together VSA members and nonmembers alike in Paws for the night.
The evening began with a buffet of traditional Vietnamese food,
followed by a rap performance by
Towson senior Emmanuel Duru, also
known as EMan The Heartbreak.
Duru delivered lyrics in both English
and Vietnamese, and spoke about

Coordinator for VSA Ly Huynh,
the elements of finals week—somewho happens to share the name
thing relatable to all students regardwith the association’s founder, first
less of background.
got involved with VSA through
The customary lion dance was
Facebook.
next, which involved
Before transfertwo dancers dressed
ring to Towson
in one extravagant
It opens your eyes
from a university
costume. Their synchronized
moveto information about in Vietnam, Huynh
contributed
her
ments brought the
various cultures and
ideas via cyberlion to life as it
allows you to
space.
moved throughout
To stay up to
the audience, allowcompare them to
date on the latest
ing a few members to
your own.
from the VSA, she
place squares of red
JE’NEE HAWKINS
suggests for stufoil into its mouth for
Junior
dents to like their
good luck. Karaoke
Facebook page and
concluded the event,
look out for event announcements in
and a few brave ones took a step up
the Towson Tigers Today newsletter.
to the mic to show off their vocal
Next semester, VSA hopes to hold
skills.
more social events ranging from iceJunior Je’nee Hawkins, who
skating to game nights.
attended the event, said that he
“Everyone’s welcome, you don’t
enjoyed learning about the lion dance
have to be Vietnamese, don’t have
and other Vietnamese cultures.
to be Asian,” Huynh said. “[Come
“It opens your eyes to information
out if] you want to have fun, make
about various cultures and allows
new friends and learn about a new
you to compare them to your own,”
culture.”
Hawkins said.

“

Photos by Liz Bonica/ The Towerlight

Attendees at the Paint your Life Workshop on Friday, Dec. 5
in the University Union took part in one of four workshop
sessions. This creative game system helps participants discover their own hidden strengths and aptitudes through
a series of artistic exercises. Other upcoming workshop
dates include Feb. 20 and March 27. Registration is available
online at towson.edu.

Puzzles

19

December 9, 2014

Crossword
Sudoku

?
?

Turn to page 20
for answers
to today’s

9-13-14

● Each row and each column must

contain the numbers 1 through 4
(easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging)
without repeating.

● The numbers within the heavily

outlined boxes, called cages, must
combine using the given operation
(in any order) to produce the target
numbers in the top-left corners.

INVITES
YOU TO A
SPECIAL
LIVE BIG
SCREEN
EVENT
For your chance to
win, bring this ad to
the Towerlight Office,
UU 309 on Thursday,
December 11 at
12:00pm
TWO WINNERS WILL
RECEIVE A PASS
(Admits 2) to a
special one night only
big screen event

Die Meistersinger von
Nurnberg

MUST PRESENT
VALID STUDENT I.D.!

Passes and prizes are available while supplies last. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. One admit-two pass per person. Seating is available
on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed. Employees of all promotional partners and Towson University are not eligible.

hw - childcare
AFTERSCHOOL BABYSITTER
sought in West Towson with excellent references for two kids aged
8 and 10. Help with homewark,
help start dinner. Having own car
for occasional local driving desirable, but not essential. Thursdays
350-550pm, with some flexibility
on end time possible depending on
your class schedule. Cynthia 410
258 6432
BABYSITTER needed for 3
children 2-3 afternoons/wk from
3:30-5:30 near Towson U. Need
to have references, be responsible
and reliable, and enjoy kids. Email
Leigh at Lthurmond@hotmail.com

2015 Career Center preview
How to make the most of upcoming events
SAM SHELTON
News Editor
@sam_tweets_now

The annual Maryland Career Consortium (MCC) Career
Fair, which was held on the Towson University campus last
year, will instead be hosted by Loyola University Maryland
this February.
Slated for Friday, Feb. 20, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the largest college-focused career
fair in the region annuallyâ&#x20AC;? will allow students to interact with
approximately 150 potential employers, according to Director
of the Towson Career Center Lorie Logan-Bennett.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;You will see some employers at that event that maybe
donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come solely to Towson,â&#x20AC;? Logan-Bennett said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a
good way to get a different type of employer mix.â&#x20AC;?
On campus, the Career Center will also offer a job fair in the
spring. On March 26, the Mega Job Fair will be held in the
West Village Commons. Logan-Bennett says that this event
typically includes about 100 potential employers. She suggests that students use Career Center resources like Hire@TU
to read and get an idea of which employers will be attending
prior to the day of the event.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great way to prep,â&#x20AC;? Logan-Bennett said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Take
a look at whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to be there so you can figure out who
you want to connect with and do a little research about the
employer so you can make a good first impression.â&#x20AC;?
Open to all students regardless of year, these career fairs
may be just as, if not more, beneficial to freshmen or underclassmen as they are to seniors, according to Logan-Bennett.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;They can go to a fair and interact with an employer they

might want to intern with or work for and get a sense of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What
do you look for in candidates? What should I be doing over
the next two, three, four years to make sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a marketable
candidate and developing skills and experiences that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re
looking for?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great way to get information, do research,
build connections early, practice those networking skills,â&#x20AC;?
Logan-Bennett said.
Logan-Bennett said that attending students should dress
professionally and be prepared with a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Strong, focused [and]
reviewed resume.â&#x20AC;?

9-15-14

â&#x2014;? Each row and each column must

contain the numbers 1 through 4
(easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging)
without repeating.

â&#x2014;? The numbers within the heavily

outlined boxes, called cages, must
combine using the given operation
(in any order) to produce the target
numbers in the top-left corners.

Former Towson safety was on his last deployment
JONATHAN MUNSHAW
Editor-in-Chief
@Jon_Munshaw

A Towson alum and former football player died in Afghanistan on
Nov. 24 in a bomb attack.
Army Sgt. Maj. Wardell Turner,
who attended Towson on a football scholarship from 1985 through
1988, was killed in the attack during
an American-led mission in Kabul
that was part of a training exercise
for Afghanistan’s soldiers. Turner
was 48.
Turner’s former coach, Phil Albert,
who still teaches at Towson, said
“a negative word never came out of
[Turner’s] mouth” while he was with
the program.
For his first three years at Towson,
Turner was mainly a special teamer
and backup defensive back. In 1986,
he led the team in special teams tackles, and recorded two sacks in 1987.
By ’88, Turner was the starting
strong safety for the Tigers and was
seventh on the team in tackles with
65.
In the media guide that season,
Turner was described as a “hard-

hitting versatile defensive back that
is one of the Tigers’ top special teams
performers.”
Turner graduated with a degree
in business administration. He
leaves behind five children. It was
his second tour in Afghanistan,
and it was supposed to be his last
overseas deployment, according to
DelmarvaNow.

Albert said he wasn’t aware that
Turner had joined the military, but
he wasn’t surprised.
Turner’s personality fit exactly
what you’d want in a soldier, he said.
“He had a big smile on his face all
the time,” Albert said. “He was such
an encouraging and hard-working
kid. He did whatever he could to
make a positive contribution.”

LEADERBOARD

EAST

W

L

Michael Pacas

12

Dave Imboden

1

10

3

Kevin Kutner

7

6

Jonathan Munshaw

7

6

Matt Hamilton

4

9

Paul Konopka

4

9

W

L

Dan Bennett

7

6

Jesse Jones

7

6

Kyle Wert

6

7

Alex Glaze

6

7

TJ Sebastian

6

7

Curt Zanelotti

2

11

TEAMS

WEST
TEAMS

Courtesy of Facebook

Former Towson football player Wardell Turner died on Nov. 24 in
Afghanistan. He played safety for Towson from 1985-1988.

Tigers go cold against Hoyas
Shooting woes lead to 78-46 loss at Georgetown
utes, scoring five points and grabSophomore forward John Davis
bing five rebounds.
was once again a bright spot for
Towson will travel again
Towson. A game after scoring 23
Wednesday up to Philadelphia,
points in 30 minutes against Coppin
Pennsylvania to take on the Temple
State on Wednesday, he had another
After getting out to a 7-1 start
Owls.
double-double,
scoring
10
points
to the season following a victoTipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m., and
and
grabbing
10
boards
in
28
minry Wednesday over Coppin State,
can be seen on ESPN3 or heard on
utes.
the Tigers were looking to
CBS Sports Radio, 1300 AM.
Sophomore center
make a statement
The Tigers will then host La Salle
Walter Foster also
in
Washington,
TOP PERFORMERS
on Dec. 20 and travel to Annapolis
returned to the
D.C.
against
to face Navy on Dec. 22.
team for his
the
nationTowson:
The Colonial Athletic Association
first
game
ally recognized
Davis: 10 pts, 10 reb.
season will begin Jan. 3 in
after a brief
Georgetown
McGlynn: 10 pts.
Harrisonburg, Virginia when Towson
time
away
Hoyas.
hosts the James Madison Dukes.
Hawkins:
9
pts.
with
what
Head
However,
The Tigers will look to make their
Coach
Pat
Skerry
Towson came out
second straight CAA tournament.
said was because
flat and were outFoster “failed to live up
scored 40-17 in the first
to some expectations.”
half, going on to lose 78-46 to fall
Foster was arrested over
to 7-2.
Thanksgiving
break and has been
In their four previous games, the
charged
with
several crimes for a
Tigers had scored at least 77 points,
single incident, including two
but they made just five shots in the
counts of second-degree assault.
first half against the Hoyas (5-2),
The big man appeared in 26 minshooting 23.8 percent from the floor
and missing all nine of their threepoint shots.
Junior guard D’Vauntes SmithRivera had nine points for the Hoyas
in the first, as did freshman forward
Paul White, who came off the bench.
Four McGlynn, Towson’s leading
scorer on the year, missed all three
of his shots from beyond the arc.
In the first half, the Tigers only
had one assist, which went to freshman point guard Josh Ivory, compared to Georgetown’s nine.
The second half was much kinder
to the Tigers, but the deficit was far
too much for them to make up.
McGlynn made three of his five
shots in the second, and power forward Timajh Parker-Rivera missed
both of his attempts. As a team,
the Tigers shot 56.5 percent from
the floor.
The Hoyas were able to keep up,
though, making 50 percent of their
shots in the second half and scoring
38 points to keep Towson at bay.
Again, the Tigers struggled to
pick up assists, finishing the game
with just three in the second half,
while Georgetown double its assists.
Heading into the game, four Tigers
had double-digit assists.
Turnovers also plagued Towson
once again, finishing the game with
17.
Prior to Sunday’s games, Towson
FIle photo by Sarah Hugel/The Towerlight
was 266th in Division-I in assist-toJunior
forward
Timajh-Parker
Rivera
had eight points and two
turnover ratio (.78) and were tied
rebounds in 29 minutes in Towson’s 78-46 loss to Georgetown.
for 210th in turnovers per game (14).
JONATHAN MUNSHAW
Editor-in-Chief
@Jon_Munshaw

46
78

Charlotte
Holz
Swimming &
Diving

The junior competed in and recorded season highs in the 200-yard backstroke, 200yard individual medley, 100-yard backstroke
-lifetime best in 200-yard backstroke
and 200-yard freestlye at the U.S. Winter
Nationals over the weekend. The 200-yard
backstroke time was a lifetime best.

The Tigers had five men and
seven women compete at the AT&T
Winter Nationals over the weekend
in Greensboro, North Carolina.
For Head Coach Pat Mead, it was
important for some of his top swimmers to be thrust into the spotlight.
“I think it was a good learning
opportunity,” Mead said. “For some
of them, it was their first time at
a national event. A few performed
really well, and others struggled a
bit.”
The men who made it to Nationals
were seniors Jon Burr and Matt
Lowe, juniors Sawyer Martin and
Matt McKenney and sophomore
Nick Breschi. It is the largest group
of men that Towson has ever had
compete at Winter Nationals under
Mead.
One of the top performers was
Lowe. His 19th-place finish in the
1650-yard freestyle was the highest
a Tiger finished all weekend. Burr
also competed in the event, coming
in 38th place.
Other notable swims came from
Martin and Breschi. Each set season-best times in their events. For

Martin, it came with a 61st-place
finish in the 200-yard freestyle, in
which he posted a time of 1:40.72.
Breschi came in 54th place in the
100-yard backstroke with a time of
50.34.
The 500-yard freestyle saw three
Tigers finish in a cluster.
McKenney, Burr and Breschi came
in 70th, 71st and 74th in the event,
respectively.
Towson rounded out its meet with
McKenney taking 66th place in the
100-yard freestyle and 39th place in
the 200-yard butterfly.
Burr came in 65th place in the
400-yard individual medley and
Breschi took 66th place in the 200yard backstroke.
The women sent a slightly bigger,
and much more experienced squad
to the meet.
It was made up of seniors

“

Victoria Oslund and Amanda
Barber, juniors Hannah Snyder,
Christine Hammond, Seana Acker
and Charlotte Holz, and sophomore
Macey Arnold. All of them, apart
from Arnold, attended this meet last
season.
Holz proved to be the standout.
She finished in 44th place and posted
a lifetime-best 1:59.51 in the 200yard backstroke.
Earlier in the meet, she also posted season-best times in three other
events, the 200-yard individual medley, 100-yard backstroke and 200yard freestyle.
Hammond also swam well, setting
a lifetime-best mark in the 500-yard
freestyle and a season-best in the
400-yard individual medley, while
also competing in the 200-yard backstroke.
The final season-best came from

Barber in the 50-yard freestyle. She
placed 36th with a time of 23.32.
Oslund was the highest woman
on the leaderboard. She came in
28th place in the 200-yard butterfly
event.
She also competed in the 200yard individual medley and 100-yard
butterfly.
The newcomer, Arnold, had a nice
showing, placing 32nd in the 1650yard freestyle and 56th in the 200yard freestyle.
Snyder and Acker each competed
in the same three events against
each other.
In the 200-yard breaststroke,
Snyder finished 71st and Acker 80th.
In the 200-yard individual medley,
Snyder came in 89th and Acker in
94th.
And in the 400-yard individual medley, Snyder placed 59th and

I think it was a good learning opportunity. For
some of them, it was their first time at a
national event. A few performed really well, and
others struggled a bit.
PAT MEAD
Head Coach

”

Acker 61st.
“It was a nice meet for some
of them,” Mead said. “Charlotte
[Holz] was phenomenal. Christine
[Hammond] had a nice meet. And
for the guys, Matt [Lowe] really
stood out. But I was looking for a
bit more from some of the others
that went. We had a lot of season
bests, which was good. I was just
looking for more lifetime bests out
of this meet.”
The Tigers now have nearly a
month break before their next competition.
It is a time in which Mead said
they need to bear down and prepare
for the homestretch.
“We have got to stay healthy and
we need to be very consistent with
our training,” Mead said. “If we do
those two things, then it will be a
good finish to the season.”
Towson will be back in the pool
on Jan. 2 when they head to the
Tennessee Diving Invitational in
Knoxville, Tennessee.
They’ll be back home Jan. 10 for a
meeting with McDaniel.
Towson will conclude winter
break with a meet at Delaware and
a home meet against Johns Hopkins
at Burdick Pool.